Whether it relates to soft-drinks, such as soda, or alcoholic drinks, such as champagne, many drinks are served to consumers in containers with the internal contents under a pressure greater than the ambient environment. Those of skill in the art will appreciate that there are various ways generate this pressure difference. For example, a liquid beverage housed in the container may be infused with a gas such carbon dioxide that is dissolved therein, e.g., carbonated water. When the cap is covered over container to create a substantially hermetic seal, the internal contents become pressured through release of the gas dissolved in the liquid beverage. This container pressurization has been known to cause the cap to eject from the bottle when attempting to remove the cap from the bottle. This cap or cover ejection frequently causes serious injury to either the individual opening the bottle and those surrounding said person. Additionally, the shock of the ejection also causes many users to spill the liquid beverage housed in the container.
Some known lids or caps have been developed to relieve the increased pressure within containers, i.e., bringing the internal pressure of the container toward equilibrium with the outside ambient pressure, typically approximately one bar at sea level. One known device includes a rubber-based member that includes two annular rings or flanges lodged into a distal end of the container, wherein a lower ring includes one or more apertures formed thereon. When the user removes the device, the gas slowly escapes from the inside of the container through the apertures to relieve the internal pressure of the container. Problematically, however, many users remove the device too quickly, which does not give time for the internal pressure of the container to reach equilibrium. Additionally, these devices are also known to become dislodged before use, e.g., during transportation.
Therefore, a need exists to overcome the problems with the prior art as discussed above.